Briarlight's Journey
by SilverDawn15
Summary: Far beyond the skies of StarClan is a sky called the Prairie, where kittypets can live in their afterlife peacefully. But somehow destiny and fate has intertwined the two skies together as a prophecy is foretold about a lightning, moss, and maple that will choose the fate of the Clans and the stables as dark forces start to rise: a war will be inevitable. Time starts now...
1. Prologue

_Briarlight's Journey_

ThunderClan

 **Leader** : Firestar - ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

 **Deputy** : Brambleclaw - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Medicine Cat(s)** : Jayfeather - gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

 **Warriors** : Graystripe - long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt - dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenfur - golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail - long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Brightheart - white she-cat with ginger patches

Millie - striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Thornclaw - golden brown tabby tom

Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Leafpool - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat

Spiderleg - long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Birchfall - light brown tabby tom

Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes

Berrynose - cream-colored tom

Hazeltail - small gray-and-white she-cat

Mousewhisker - gray-and-white tom

Cinderheart - gray tabby she-cat

Lionblaze - golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Foxleap - reddish tabby tom

Icecloud - white she-cat

Toadstep - black-and-white tom

Rosepetal - dark cream she-cat

Briarlight - dark brown she-cat

Blossomfall - tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Bumblestripe - very pale gray tom with black stripes

Dovewing - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Ivypool - silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Hollyleaf - black she-cat with green eyes

 **Queens** : Sorreltail - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes (mother to Lilykit, a dark tabby she-kit with white patches, and Seedkit, a very pale ginger she-kit)

Ferncloud - pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

Daisy - cream long-furred cat from the horseplace

Poppyfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat (mother to Cherrykit, a ginger she-cat, and Molekit, a brown-and-cream tom)

 **Elders** : Mousefur - small dusky brown she-cat

Purdy - plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle

ShadowClan

 **Leader** : Blackstar - large white tom with one jet-black forepaw

 **Deputy** : Rowanclaw - ginger tom

 **Medicine Cat(s)** : Littlecloud - very small tabby tom

 **Warriors** : Oakfur - small brown tom

Smokefoot - black tom

Toadfoot - dark brown tom

Applefur - mottled brown she-cat

Crowfrost - black-and-white tom

Ratscar - brown tom with long scar across his back

Snowbird - pure white she-cat

Tawnypelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Olivenose - tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw - light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot - gray she-cat with black feet

Scorchfur - dark gray tom

Redwillow - mottled brown-and-ginger tom

Tigerheart - dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt - cream-furred she-cat

Pinenose - black she-cat

Ferretclaw - cream-and-gray tom

Starlingwing - ginger tom

 **Queens** : Kinkfur - tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail - black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

 **Elders** : Cedarheart - dark gray tom

Tallpoppy - long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

Snaketail - dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail

Whitewater - white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

WindClan

 **Leader** : Onestar - brown tabby tom

 **Deputy** : Ashfoot - gray she-cat

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Kestrelflight - mottled gray tom

 **Warriors** : Crowfeather - dark gray tom

Owlwhisker - light brown tabby tom  
Apprentice, Whiskerpaw (light brown tom)

Whitetail - small white she-cat

Nightcloud - black she-cat

Gorsetail - very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur - ginger tom with white paws

Harespring - brown-and-white tom

Leaftail - dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Antpelt - brown tom with one black ear

Emberfoot - gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail - light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice, Furzepaw (gray-and-white she-cat)

Breezepelt - black tom with amber eyes  
Apprentice, Boulderpaw (large pale gray tom)

Sedgewhisker - light brown tabby she-cat

Swallowtail - dark gray she-cat

Sunstrike - tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

 **Apprentices** : Whiskerpaw - light brown tom

Furzepaw - gray-and-white she-cat

Boulderpaw - large pale gray tom

 **Elders** : Webfoot - dark gray tabby tom

Tornear - tabby tom

RiverClan

 **Leader** : Mistystar - gray she-cat with blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Reedwhisker - black tom  
Apprentice, Hollowpaw (dark brown tabby tom)

 **Medicine Cat(s)** : Mothwing - dappled golden she-cat  
Apprentice, Willowshine (gray tabby she-cat)

 **Warriors** : Graymist - pale gray tabby she-cat  
Apprentice, Troutpaw (pale gray tabby she-cat)

Mintfur - light gray tabby tom

Icewing - white she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowtail - dark gray she-cat  
Apprentice, Mossypaw (brown-and-white she-cat)

Pebblefoot - mottled gray tom  
Apprentice, Rushpaw (light brown tabby tom)

Mallownose - light brown tabby tom

Robinwing - tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Beetlewhisker - brown-and-white tabby tom

Petalfur - gray-and-white she-cat

Grasspelt - light brown tom

 **Apprentices** : Hollowpaw - dark brown tabby tom

Willowshine - gray tabby she-cat

Troutpaw - pale gray tabby she-cat

Mossypaw - brown-and-white she-cat

Rushpaw - light brown tabby tom

 **Queens** : Duskfur - brown tabby she-cat

Mosspelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

 **Elders** : Dapplenose - mottled gray she-cat

Pouncetail - ginger-and-white tom

Silver Stables

 **Leader:** Belle - dark gray she-cat with yellow-green eyes

 **Co-Leader:** KC - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with yellow-green eyes

 **Kittypets:** Aster - silver-gray tom

Cheryl - golden she-cat

Winky - pure white she-cat

Racer - pure white tom

Harry - dark brown tom

Silver - pale gray she-cat

Storm - black-and-gray tom with white paws

 **Loners:** Violet - pinkish-gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Hawk - grayish-brown tom

Joy - brown she-cat

Ester - ginger she-cat

Jump - small tortoiseshell tom

 **Queens:** Georgette - pale gray she-cat with dark patches

Teddy - cream-colored she-cat

Flash - black she-cat with white stripes

* * *

Prologue

Lightning flew through the sky as two cats waited until a third cat appeared with something in its' jaws. The two cats nodded to the third before they walked into the huge building made for horses and the light inside revealed one dark gray she-cat, one tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, and one dark ginger tom. "Is everything ready?" The dark gray she-cat asked before the tom nodded and dropped the item, which was a clump of briars, on the ground with a strange symbol scratched into the ground. The symbol was two circles, one smaller and inside the other, with triangles pointing in the four directions and lines going from the four directions to meet the clump of briars.

"From the dawn of time, when Ghouls and the Prairie fought against each other, let us know of what to do now, let us know of what will happen... to the stables... and to the Prairie!" The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat shouted as wind and rain picked up outside the stables and shook the walls, causing the tom to jump while the she-cats stood still and the ground moved a bit before two cats appeared in front of them: one was a transparent light brown she-cat with dark ears and a stripe going down her back and a transparent black tom with amber eyes.

"Spirit," The dark gray she-cat said to the black tom, who nodded, before turning to the light brown she-cat. "Summer, please tell us of what will happen to Silver Stables and the Prairie in the next two moons?" Both cats stilled before they blinked and lightning filled the stables, surrounding them in harsh white light before it faded and more transparent cats appeared behind Spirit and Summer. **_"When the lightning strikes, the moss gathers, and the maple grows, their love will heal the broken briar and change the way of living forever."_** The Prairie cats said at the same time before they all vanished, leaving the tom still shocked and the she-cats just stared at the spot before removing the clump of briars and using their tails to erase the symbols.

"I-I'll just go now." The tom said before turning and leaving the stables while muttering to himself, but once he got outside he became transparent with stars in his pelt and ran to the edge of the Twolegplace where a transparent pale ginger she-cat with stars in her pelt was waiting. "How did it go?" The she-cat asked as the tom reached where the she-cat was sitting patiently. "I still don't understand why this is tied with the Clans Goldenflower," The tom said as he sat beside Goldenflower. "Three kits born to kittypets and loners-" "Who will find their way into the Clans one way or another Flametail," Goldenflower chastised gently before wrapping her tail around his back. "Remember, some of each Clan was formerly either a kittypet or a loner and these three will be accepted into the Clans before the Dark Forest attacks."

*#~+=

Briarlight sighed in boredom as she watched the Clan around her from the medicine den: Thornclaw was nuzzling Hazeltail, Branbleclaw was getting two patrols ready, one for hunting and one for the borders, Lionblaze was talking to Dovewing with a serious look on his face, Firestar was sharing tongues with Sandstorm, the elders were sunning themselves, and the queens were talking among themselves as the kits pretended to fight each other. "Are you sure she's okay?" Millie's concerned voice rang behind her, causing her to sigh in annoyance before turning her head.

Looking through the medicine supplies was Jayfeather, who was slowly shaking with annoyance as Millie kept bugging him about Briarlight's condition and both cats wanted to get her out. So, as Millie kept asking about Briarlight's exercises, Briarlight dragged herself to the warriors den with one thing on her mind. "Graystripe, can you please get Millie out of the medicine den because either Jayfeather or myself will make her." That got the striped warrior to quickly get out of his nest and to the medicine den just as Jayfeather started yelling at Millie.

"Briarlight!" Two voices sounded out as two bundles of fur ran towards her with two more behind them. "What did you two do?" Briarlight asked with amusement in her voice as a dark tabby she-kit with white patches and a pale ginger she-kit hid under her forelegs as a cream-and-brown tom-kit and a ginger she-kit stopped before colliding into the paralyzed warrior. "We wanted to know if you want to play with us!" The ginger she-kit, Cherrykit, asked with curiosity in her eyes along with the other three kits.

"I wish I could," Briarlight meowed as she ushered the two she-kits out from under her forelegs. "But Millie would go in a panic if she sees me doing anything." That was true, any movement the paralyzed warrior did set the light gray warrior off, causing her to ask irritating questions and keeping Jayfeather from doing his work. "I think I'll just go take a nap if you want to join me."

The kits jumped in happiness before yawning and led Briarlight to the Halfrock near the elders' den before the five of them got comfortable and fell asleep.

 _Dream Starts_

"Hello?" Briarlight asks as she noticed that her surroundings weren't the same StarClan grounds as usual, these surroundings were dark and shadowy with a thin fog making everything more shrouded. "Bluestar? Spottedleaf?" No one answered her as she padded forward on the path she woke up on until she heard it. _Meow!_ It was faint but she could hear three kits crying out. "Oh no," She meowed before running towards the sound which was still faint and never getting louder or quieter... until she bumped into something that caused her to fall backwards.

She shakily stood up and shook her head, which was pounding from the collision, before noticing that the kits' cries stopped and saw what was in front of her. It was a cat, twice her size, with a slightly darker spotted white coat and gray eyes that stared at her in blankness before turning around and gestured to her with its' tail to follow it. Briarlight gulped before following the cat, which seemed to know the surroundings better before stopping in front of a monster which was on its' side.

Briarlight took a deep breath before walking around the monster, seeing monster blood and Twoleg blood all over before going behind it and got the shock of her life. Two cats, one a grayish-brown tom and the other a black she-cat with white stripes, were covered in cuts and still bleeding until she noticed something under them... and heard the meows that she heard earlier.

She backed away in fear before turning to the spotted cat, who blinked before nodding its' head. "No... No!" She shouted before collapsing and cried for the lost lives and three orphaned kits until something brushed her ear. She slowly looked up to see a maple leaf fall gently on a patch of moss before lightning struck it, strangely mending a patch of briar before voices were heard softly and got louder and louder.

 ** _"When the lightning strikes, the moss gathers, and the maple grows, their love will heal the broken briar and change the way of living forever."_**

 _Dream Ends_

Briarlight woke up with a gasp as she suddenly pushed her forelegs upwards, causing the kits around her to jump a bit before looking at the gasping warrior. "Are you okay?" Cherrykit asked with worry etched on her face along with the other kits before screaming and ran to the nursery and the medicine den for Jayfeather and Sorreltail. Briarlight had looked at the camp entrance with glazed over eyes before fainting, landing slightly hard on the ground.

* * *

A story by CrimsonFlame07 called 'Briarlight's Cure' gave me the inspiration to create this.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 _"Are you sure she's okay?"_ Millie's voice sounded out as Briarlight slowly woke up to find herself in the medicine den with Jayfeather putting herbs next to her muzzle and Millie watching over with questions and criticism in her voice. "She's going to be fine if you give her space to relax once in a while!" Jayfeather snapped before stalking away to the cleft where the herbs were and started sorting. "I'm just worried about her!"

"No, you're _overprotective_!" Briarlight shouted after she swallowed the herbs and stood on her forelegs, glaring at her mother while Millie and Jayfeather stared at her in shock. "Ever since my accident, you've been neglecting your other kits: remember Blossomfall and Bumblestripe? Your other kits that you've practically rejected with your entire being! Well, you know what: I'm done. I'm done hearing you complain about me when in reality you smother me with insecurity and make me feel like a useless kit again!"

"Briarlight-" "Oh, don't you 'Briarlight' me!" She shouted as she interrupted Millie. "You never had a second thought about your other kits and pushed them aside for your own thoughts and nothing else. Well, you know what? I have had it. From now on, I don't want _anything_ to do with _you_. From now on, you are no longer my mother but the cat that gave birth to me. I hope that you now have a place in that darkness you call a heart for your other kits because I will _never_ have _any_ room in my heart for _you_." (AN: This is as close to the original rant that I can get because FF didn't save and I had to start over with my sister talking about Kingdom Hearts in the background, so I got irritated and kept yelling at her to shut up while I tried to remember what I wrote before.)

Then she dragged her way out of the medicine den and towards the camp entrance where Berrynose was guarding and hissed at him when he started to ask of where she was heading. She noticed that the moon was nearing moonhigh and there was a slight breeze that ruffled her fur gently as she laid at the lakeside thinking about how good it felt to get what she said off her chest before remembering her dream, which caused her to faint and the events earlier to fold out. She had to know the reason of why she was given the dream and not either Jayfeather or Firestar, there had to be a reason why she was chosen.

She got on her forelegs and started making her way to the Moonpool, the only gateway to StarClan where medicine cats can visit once a half moon to learn from past medicine cats or to accompany a new leader that will earn their nine lives. The sun just started to rise over the hills as she made halfway to the Moonpool before stopping suddenly as loud pawsteps quickly made their way to her.

 _WindClan? No, they wouldn't be this loud or uneven. Maybe a rogue?_ But her thoughts were cut off as something barreled into her, causing her to flip backwards and the other cat to fly a bit backwards too. She shook her head, the pounding in it familiar, and rolled until she got back on her forelegs and looked to see a pinkish-gray she-cat shakily get back on her paws before shaking her head and noticed Briarlight.

"Oh, thank the Prairie," The she-cat gasped out as she bent her head to the ground before looking behind her. "Winky, hurry! There's a cat here that can help us!" Coming over the small hill that the she-cat ran over was a pure white she-cat, that was slightly bigger than the toms in her Clan, grumbling to herself in irritation. "-somehow got themselves in trouble and what about their kits? No one in the stables will be able to lend a paw to-" Then she stopped as she noticed the she-cat and the paralyzed warrior. "Oh Violet, please don't tell me your 'senses' told you to find this cat."

"Wha-" "Just ignore what I said," The pure white she-cat, Winky, said cutting Briarlight off. "She just lost her brother and now she says that she has these 'senses' that no other cat has and she's driving the stables crazy which means that everyone thinks that she's crazy." "I AM NOT!" The pinkish-gray she-cat, Violet, shouted with an arched back and bristling fur. "So, is there a reason for you to be here or are we in your territory?" Winky said, changing the subject much to Violet's displeasure.

"I just want to get to the Moonpool," Briarlight said before gesturing with her head to the hills. "I have to follow this river but with my current state, I'm worried about a Clan patrol finding me before I get there." Winky and Violet blinked in surprise before Winky let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Well why didn't you say so?" She asked before lowering her body. "Violet help her get on." Violet gently grabbed Briarlight by the scruff before dragging her over Winky's body and helping her straighten out so that she can see over Winky's head before the white she-cat slowly got to her paws, making Briarlight grasp Winky's fur with her claws but not hard enough to harm the she-cat.

"So just retrace most of our steps." Violet said before bounding in the direction of the hills, causing Winky to sigh in exasperation. "Sorry about her," She said to Briarlight without looking at the she-cat on her back. "She is always full of energy and never seems to slow down. Violet! You do know that I have cargo right?!" That last sentence was to Violet, who suddenly remembered Briarlight and went back to the she-cats before they started walking with equal pace to the Moonpool.

* * *

"How much longer until we're there?" Violet asked as she and Winky slowly climbed the now rocky hills, careful to not jostle Briarlight from her perch on Winky. "Just either hear the rushing water or see it when we get closer." Briarlight offered, silent for most of the trip as the other two she-cats talked to each other about some stables and only answered when they asked for her name. "What do you mean by-" Then Violet fell into a shallow pond before running out of it. Winky and Briarlight let out _mrrows_ of laughter as they saw the soaked she-cat before Briarlight recognized the pond.

"It's the Moonpool!" She shouted, making Winky realize before lowering her body so the paralyzed warrior can get off and watched as Briarlight dragged herself to the pond. "What's so special about this Moonpool?" Winky asked as she sat next to Briarlight. "I can connect with my StarClan to get an answer of something that has been bugging me since I left my camp." Briarlight answered as Violet watched from the background in curiosity. "Is it okay for me to try and connect to the Prairie from here?" Winky asked in excitement as she looked at Briarlight curiously. "It's okay if you want, I just don't know if you're gonna get a connection." Briarlight answered before drinking a few drops of water before lying her head on her paws and slowly fell asleep, Winky followed suit and curled up before slowly falling asleep.

 _Dream Starts_

Briarlight opened her eyes to find herself on a land that wasn't part of StarClan territory. "Mother!" Winky's voice sounded out, causing Briarlight to raise her head in confusion before walking through the slightly tall grass to see Winky nuzzling the slightly darker spotted white cat that she met in her last dream. **_That's Winky's mother?!_** Briarlight thought in shock before a black she-cat with white stripes and a grayish-brown tom started to approach Winky before stopping suddenly. Briarlight stared at them curiously before realizing that the she-cat was staring at her with blank yellow-green eyes.

"Briarlight?" Winky asked as she noticed the dark brown she-cat's head sticking out of the slightly tall grass. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your StarClan?" Briarlight sighed before padding towards the four cats. "I thought so to, but I woke up to find myself here instead," She said as she sat down in front of them. "What is this place?"

"This is the Prairie," The spotted she-cat answered, shocking Briarlight with her voice since she was silent the first time they met. "This is the place where kittypets and loners can rest in peace in their afterlives." Briarlight froze and thoughts quickly went through her head at alarming speeds. **_Kittypets and loners?! They believe in something similar to StarClan?! Wait, Winky and Violet kept saying something about a stables. So, only cats that live in stables believe in this 'Prairie'? Or is it just Winky and Violet's stables that believe?_**

"Briarlight? Briarlight are you okay?" Winky asked as she put her tail on Briarlight's shoulder, causing the dark brown she-cat to jump before remembering where she is. "I did have a question for my ancestors but since I'm here, and your mother was the cat I met in my last dream, is it okay if I ask her my question?" She asked Winky, who nodded, before turning to face Winky's mother. "Is there a reason why _I_ was chosen for my last dream and not the medicine cat or the leader?"

"There is a reason," The white striped she-cat answered instead of Winky's mother. "You're a part of the prophecy instead of your leader or medicine cat. The broken briar. Remind you of anything?" "So I'm a part of a prophecy but I don't know about who the other signs are." Briarlight said before the tom put his tail against her muzzle gently. "That's up to you," He said before turning to Winky. "There's also something me and Flash need to ask you, it's about our kits."

"I asked the others and no one wants to raise your kits," Winky said as exhaustion creeped up on her. "The only way is to either give the kits to Twolegs or-" "Let me raise them." Briarlight said, interrupting Winky and made every cat look at her in either surprise or shock. "You?" Winky asked in confusion and shock. "You're paralyzed from the middle of your spine down!"

"And that means that I can't _give birth_ to kits, but I can take in orphaned ones to raise as my own." Briarlight countered, and no one decided to argue as she went back to the slightly tall grass and kept walking. Anger and irritation flared inside her as she stared at the ground while walking forward until she bumped into a cat. She backed up a bit before opening her eyes to see-

"Silverstream."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Silverstream." Briarlight said as the silver she-cat stared at her with a cold gaze. "You hurt your mother." Silverstream finally meowed, causing Briarlight's anger at Millie to rise again. "That she-cat ignored her other kits and made me feel even more useless than when I was a kit," Briarlight argued with a glare. "I said what needed to be said, and I don't regret it." Silverstream just sighed before walking away from Briarlight, who hesitated a bit before following the silver she-cat.

"You have no idea what you have done," Silverstream said as they continued walking, Briarlight noticing that the forest was slowly taking a darker look and atmosphere. "By offering to raise the kittypet-loner kits, you have nearly jeopardized the prophecy." "So, the kits aren't supposed to know, see, or meet me at all?" Briarlight said with her fur bristling in anger. " _That's_ how your precious prophecy works isn't it? You give vague words to cats and if they do something you don't like, you visit them in their dream and tell them what _StarClan_ wanted them to do even if it's against either the Code or their Clan."

"Briarlight-" Silverstream started but Briarlight started to fade, not wanting to hear anything the silver she-cat had to say. "From now on, until _StarClan_ can figure out if even _I'm_ in the prophecy or if they actually _want_ the Clans to understand them, I will no longer believe in _StarClan_ until they figure out which is right and which is wrong."

 _Dream Ends_

Briarlight slowly woke up, opening her eyes to see the clear water and Winky talking to Violet in the background. She sighed before getting on her forelegs and dragged herself to the she-cats who were done talking about something. "Is there any place you need to go now?" Winky asked as she noticed Briarlight. "Wherever you both go now," Briarlight said, causing Winky and Violet look at her in surprise. "I want to wait until my ancestors can figure out what they want me to do with the prophecy because according to them: _I'm not allowed to raise kits that might be part of the prophecy._ "

"Well, you're welcome to join our stables," Violet said as she helped Briarlight onto Winky's back. "Any cat is welcome, but only a few want to stay while most just needed a night of comfort and dryness." Briarlight thought about it for a bit before agreeing. Violet and Winky, after carefully going over the rocky hills before heading towards a forest that was seen in the distance, talked about Briarlight's arrival to the stables and about if their leaders will accept the now not-warrior while stopping once to make dirt and Briarlight thought about what she did and never felt a twinge of regret once she said it to Silverstream.

"We're gonna have to find a place for the night," Winky said as they reached the forest and started looking for a spot to put Briarlight. "It'll take us a half day to reach the stables and we need all the strength we can get."

They found an abandoned fox den and made sure that Briarlight was settled before Winky left to hunt, leaving Violet to keep Briarlight company. "So, what do you mean by waiting until your ancestors figure out the prophecy?" Violet asked curiously. Briarlight waited until Winky came back with a rabbit and a mouse before revealing everything: the dream with Winky's mother, seeing the two cats dead while protecting their kits, the prophecy shown to her before being told to her, her second dream in the Prairie before running off in anger and meeting Silverstream, what Silverstream told her, and of what she interpreted from it and saying that she will no longer believe in them until they give her a clear answer.

"So, you're cutting all ties with them until they can figure out if the prophecy they gave you needs to be described more or to just give up on it completely?" Violet asked before taking a bite of the rabbit. Briarlight nodded before eating the mouse in silence, making Winky and Violet eat their rabbit in silence as they sensed that she didn't want to talk about the subject anymore. "What about your name?" Winky asked as she started to clean Briarlight and Violet cleaned herself. "Are you still going by Briarlight or are you going to use a different name?"

Briarlight hadn't thought of that. That was the missing part was of _what_ her new name is going to be. "Herbal," She answered, thinking that all the herbs she knew might be useful at the stables. "My new name is Herbal."

 _Back at the ThunderClan..._

"Where in StarClan's name is Briarlight?" Jayfeather asked as he sorted herbs to keep himself busy. The den was strangely quiet without Briarlight's complaining about her mother, well not since she verbally disowned her mother, and encouragement to Jayfeather whenever he feels like he'll fail at something and without admitting it, he was starting to feel something for her but he just wasn't sure of what it was.

He sighed to himself before leaving the den and tried to piece together where Briarlight would go in her state.

"Hey Jayfeather!" Berrynose's voice sounded out as the cream-colored warrior bounded to the medicine cat before stopping a tail-length in front of him. "Do you know what's going on with Briarlight?" "What do you mean?" Jayfeather asked curiously, knowing a bit of what might be bothering her. "She looked mad about something last night while I was guarding the entrance and she hissed at me when I tried to ask her of what was wrong." Berrynose offered, noticing that Jayfeather's eyes widened a bit. "And she did came back right?" Jayfeather asked with worry in his voice. "Actually no," Berrynose said as he hung his head a bit. "She never came back from where she was last night or this morning."

 _Oh dear StarClan!_ Jayfeather thought as Berrynose went to the Warriors den to get some sleep, leaving the medicine cat to think the worst before shaking his head. "She probably just fell asleep out there and is on her way back now," He said to himself. "She'll probably be hungry by then."

So he went to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a mouse, which was Briarlight's favorite, and went back to the medicine den to put it in her nest so that she would see it when she came back from wherever she was and went back to sorting herbs. Life in ThunderClan went back to normal with a couple comments about Briarlight missing and of Cherrykit and Molekit soon becoming apprentices but everything was back to normal.

But the mouse in Briarlight's nest wasn't touched for days.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The sun was slowly setting as Winky, Violet, and Herbal slowly made their way to the stables while hearing, and asking, Herbal about the Clans. "We should be getting close," Violet said as they reached the outskirts of the Twolegplace, several Twoleg nests placed far from each other with a couple of sheep and cows grazing the adjourning fields. "The stables are bigger than three Twoleg nests combined." Herbal just nodded and turned her head to look for a huge Twoleg nest, but none were in sight. "Are you sure?" She asked as they neared the edge of the outskirts and the main Twolegplace. "Because I don't see any-" Then a _huge_ Twolegplace appeared in front of them. It was the size of _five_ Twoleg nests and had looked like it wasn't lived in for years.

"This is it," Winky said as they neared it. "This is the Silver Stables, the current Clan-like place in the Twolegplace." Violet went up to the flat tree barks, _doors_ Herbal remembered Millie telling her and her siblings when they were kits, and stared at a spot near the ground before scratching at one door. It slowly opened and a pure white tom, _Winky's brother perhaps?_ Herbal thought, poked his head out before noticing the three she-cats.

"Hey Violet, Winky," He said as he took a pawstep forward. "What's up?" "Where's the rock that keeps the door opened?" Violet asked impatiently, making the cat look at the spot she looked at earlier and gulp in embarrassment. "Georgette's kits wanted something to play with-" "And they didn't think of finding _another_ rock to play with instead of the door-holder?" Violet calmly demanded.

"Door-holder?" Herbal asked Winky curiously. "The doors can easily be closed by either pushing it closed or letting a harsh wind close it, but it's also a pain to open so we found a good-sized rock to keep the door opened so that cats can come and go as they please," Winky said before she turned her attention to the tom. "My brother however..." That didn't shock Herbal because she knew the second he poked his head that he was related to Winky.

"Nevermind," Violet said, diverting the subject from the door-holder. "How are Dobby and Sky doing?" The tom perked up at the mention of the two kits and started laughing. "Sky is a spitfire, I mean she has so much energy neither me or Georgette know how much she has!" "And Dobby?" Violet asked curiously. "He's still shy but he doesn't run from the others anymore," The tom said before he looked at the ground. "At least he's watching your nieces and nephew for a bit since-" Then he stopped and looked away in shame.

"Who-" "The cats from the Prairie." Winky answered Herbal quickly, making Herbal think a bit before remembering the grayish-brown tom and the white-striped she-cat. _So Violet must be the tom's sister if Winky's brother said that the kits they died for was her nieces and nephew._ Herbal thought as the tom moved the door with all of his strength, revealing that he was the size of his mother, to make enough room for the she-cats to get through. Once they were inside, Herbal was surprised for the second time that day.

There were several dens, but they all looked the same so Herbal didn't know which was which until a kit left the farthest one to walk to a small pile of prey and picked a scrawny mouse before going back into the den where kit meows were heard from. "So, is this a new Stayer or does she need to see a Fixer about her back?" A voice sounded out, making Herbal jump slightly in shock as she looked around but saw no cat looking or talking to her.

That is until she looked up.

Sitting there on a wooden ledge that led to a den were two she-cats, one was tortoiseshell-and-white with yellow-green eyes staring at her as if she was examining her, and the other she-cat was barely visible against the darkness of their position but identical yellow-green eyes stared at her before the she-cat jumped from the ledge onto one of the den walls then onto the strange shiny thing that looked like a fence at the ends before being pushed down in the middle, and then jumped onto the ground with the other she-cat following suit.

"She does need to see the Fixer about her back," Winky said as she and Violet bowed their heads to the she-cats. "But she heard about Flash and Hawk's kits and would like to raise them herself." The tortoiseshell she-cat looked at Herbal with examining eyes before turning to the dark gray she-cat. "Sister, she may be the one." She meowed, making Herbal confused.

 _The one?_ She thought before she noticed that she was being put on the ground and the dark gray she-cat looked at her with the same searching look.

"Let's bring her to the Fixer tomorrow or the day after," The dark she-cat finally said after tensed moments of silence. "She'll need to be acquainted with Flash and Hawk's kits though. Violet, go tell Dobby that there's a cat willing to look after your nieces and nephew." Violet nodded before padding towards the den the kit came out of and reappeared a few heartbeats later with the same kit. "Just to warn you: you'll have to come up with the kits' names since Flash and Hawk died before they could."

Herbal nodded before dragging herself in the direction of the den, ignoring the other cats that stared at her but not knowing that they were staring at her in confusion because they have seen injured cats before but not one with her injury. The door to the den was already open and cuddled there among the hay, moss, and cotton were the kits.

One of them was white with gray patches, reminding Herbal of when Mousefur told her about Bluestar's kits, the other one was a tortoiseshell with a white blaze on her face and was the biggest of the three, and the last one looked like Flash but was smaller then his sisters. Herbal did the best she could as she can to surround them like the queens she saw did but was very surprised when the kits moved towards her and then nuzzled their heads into her belly fur.

"How old are they?" She asked quietly, noticing that Violet was standing at the entrance while watching the kits with a mix of emotions in her eyes. "They're a couple weeks old, but have refused to open their eyes for some reason." Herbal knew the reason, the kits knew that their parents were gone and that a kit was trying to raise them until they sensed her and were still unsure if she was going to leave or not.

"I'll name the white she-kit with gray patches Moss, after an old leader's kit, the tortoiseshell will be Maple, since she looks like the colors of a maple tree, and the tom Lightning, a different version of his mother's name." Herbal said as she looked at the kits, who raised their heads a bit before doing something that caused Violet to gasp in surprise.

Herbal looked at the kits to see what it was and she was surprised too.

Lightning's eyes were yellow while Moss' eyes were pale green and Maple's eyes were dark blue.


End file.
